Appreciating the poetic beauty of the latest FTTC broadband exchange list…
FTTC broadband was in the news again yesterday. Sometimes when these big announcements are made there is so much media coverage that it is better to sit back and reflect before putting hand to keyboard. Let everything sink in. Come up with some juicy facts and pearls of wisdom that the mass online media and blogosphere will have missed in their rush to cover the news and get Google rankings.
The first thing to note is the poetry of the list of exchanges; Aintree, Alloa, Arbroath1, Ardwick, Arkwright, Arnold. Bilston Bishopworth and Blyth (Northumberland). This is a beautiful list. It makes me all emotional thinking of the history there is in some of these names.
Some of the exchanges are a bit on the bland side – Eastville for example. I’m sorry if you are an Eastville dweller but it does sound like some made up place on Facebook. Maybe BT slipped it in to see if anyone noticed?
For some reason Boldon has been slotted in at the end after Woodhouse, Wrexham and Yeovil – almost as an afterthought. Strange. Wealthy Eastbourne Pevensey Marina2 also sticks in the mind. Do they really run phone lines to yatchs?
Allowing some mundanity into this discourse it seems that the BT fttc broadband really is beginning to permeate wide swathes of our country (rural folks excepted of course – sort yourselves out). We are starting to see relatively small communities announced. In my own back yard Newark is now on the list (hooray say half the Timico staff) and the small towns/large villages of Bourne and Brigg in Lincolnshire are now in (hooray say the good citizens of Bourne and Brigg).
I will leave you in peace to peruse the latest announcement from BT and will look at providing a fully updated list sometime this week.
1 sorry missed out Ardrossan – Saltcoats here in the BT alphabetically ordered list – whilst a good name in itself it didn’t fit the flow and I exercised editorial privilege in leaving it on the cutting room floor (or wherever editors leave these things).
2 At this point I should insert a disclaimer. I do not actually know whether the residents/boats of this marina are wealthy, or whether BT has any policy of favouring people with money, though I know there was a bit of a kerfuffle a couple of years back where the telco appeared to favour its no doubt wealthy chairman with the only broadband connection in his village.
4 replies on “Latest FTTC Broadband Exchange Announcements – Poetry to Some People’s Ears #BT #infinity”
My home town of Poole was finally mentioned, although the current crop of FTTC packages and ISPs aren’t that attractive and with existing ADSL2+ speeds of 10Mbps (consider myself lucky) I don’t feel a pressing need to upgrade until eventual price parity makes it pointless not to.
IMO what’s needed is some real FTTC competition, proper LLU FTTC.
You ain’t going to get it Mark because vectoring used to increase speeds precludes sub loop unbundling.
Gea/vula ie buying direct fibre feed off Openreach rather than wbc links should promote competition.
TalkTalk are using it. BeThere starting to. Just no fancy tv ad campaigns yet.
Andrew – I wonder if these firms are buying from the exchange rather than from the cabinet though.